Alyssa Milano Keeps It Au Naturel At 50 With Bare-Faced, Filter-Free Selfie

Mar 22, 2023

Alyssa Milano shot to fame as a child star, becoming a household name before she had even reached her 20s. Born on Dec. 19, 1972, in New York City, the actress of Italian descent began her career at the tender age of 7, when her babysitter took her to an audition of “Annie,” after which Milano was selected among more than 1,500 girls.

From then, she began appearing in commercials and off-Broadway shows, before hitting the big-time on the sitcom “Who’s The Boss?” where she played Tony Danza’s daughter. She endeared herself to the families who tuned in to watch her and Danza’s shenanigans week after week, becoming a teen idol to millions of girls in the process. The highly successful show ran from September 1984 to April 1992 and centered on Danza’s character as he navigated being a housekeeper and fathering his own daughter, played by Milano. Judith Light played his divorced employer Angela Bower while Danny Pintauro played her character’s son, Jonathan. 

Milano also had a memorable turn playing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s daughter in the 1985 film “Commando.” Milano’s talents are not limited to acting; she also released pop albums in her teenage years. In the late '90s, she starred in Aaron Spelling’s “Melrose Place” before taking on perhaps her most memorable role as one of three supernatural sisters alongside “Beverly Hills, 90210” alum Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs in “Charmed.” The show, which ran from 1998 to 2006, saw Milano play Phoebe Halliwell, who discovers she and her sisters are among the world’s most powerful witches. While the first few seasons were well-received, the good reception of the show dwindled over the years.

However, it served to keep Milano in the limelight up until now, with many fans following her for her activism as well as her beauty secrets.  

As an actress who's graced our screens for nearly 40 years, and acted in plays and commercials even longer, Milano has had a truly impressive career in show business. After her career began when she landed the lead role in the hit stage musical "Annie," Milano and her mother went on tour with the production for 18 months. Upon her return to New York, Milano booked TV commercials and roles in off-Broadway productions, including an adaptation of "Jane Eyre." Soon after she landed an agent and her budding career only took off from there.

Despite the clichés of child stars being pushed into working and missing out on having a childhood, Milano has stated this was never the case for her. She once said:

"I love my family very much – they've really backed my career. I consider myself to be normal: I've got to clean my room, and help in the kitchen."

Milano made her film debut in 1984 in the coming-of-age film "Old Enough," which won first prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It was the same year she scored the role of Samantha Micelli on "Who's the Boss?" and her life changed forever. The show ran for eight seasons and was one of the most popular sitcoms of the '80s. It was nominated for a whopping 40 awards, including 10 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards, winning one of each during its run.

Playing Danza's onscreen daughter meant that he and Milano became close off-screen too. He told the Los Angeles Times:

“She was just the sweetest little girl of all time. ... She became much like my daughter.”

The show's popularity made Milano a star and the ultimate female teen idol in the '80s and early '90s. From acting roles and workout videos to music releases in Japan, Milano was perhaps one of the most famous teenage girls on the planet. Alongside her acting pursuits, Milano branched out into all kinds of entertainment ventures including music and an aerobics workout video.

She landed a five-album record deal in Japan, where she released bubblegum pop music, though she later criticized the musical quality of her output. In a 1991 interview with the Los Angeles Times, she admitted she didn't want her music released in the United States.

“A lot of actors who release albums here are laughed at,” she said. “I’m not interested in crossing over. I’d much rather have it released where it’s appreciated than laughed at.”

However, Milano's workout video titled "Teen Steam" — made in the then-popular style of Jane Fonda's famous aerobic workouts — was an instant sensation Stateside when it was released in 1988. Years later, in 2015, Milano spoke to Yahoo about the enterprise and how she's proud of it looking back.

"It was during the time when they started to pull all funding out of schools for (physical education), so there was a need for it," she explained about the video's origins. "And it was also the time when Jane Fonda had her workout videos."

Milano added:

"To hear stories about how kids would do it and it helped them to feel good about themselves, it's great." 

The actress said that looking "back on those '80s moments is always fun for me."  

However, the star admitted she does cringe at herself — as we all do — even while remembering the warm times she had, "but in a good way."

"And you have to realize that a lot of my '80s is on camera in some way, right? I went through puberty on television in the '80s. There could not be a more ugly era for fashion, and there I was for everyone to see. So, yeah, (I cringe about) that whole time," she said.

However, she admitted her memories of "Who's the Boss?" are patchy — she remembers "weird things, like a pair of pants that Judith (Light) wore in the episode" or "the pocket designs on (Tony Danza's) jeans, because he always wore the same jeans, the same brand," but overall she'll "watch reruns of 'Who's the Boss?' and have no recollection of doing it all."

One person she remembers from that time was her first boyfriend, fellow teen idol, Corey Haim.

"He was my first boyfriend, when I was very little," she said. "Obviously, because we were so young, we weren't real boyfriend and girlfriend. I had the hugest crush on him and we were friends. We were friends with crushes on each other. And he was like the s*** at that time." 

Milano's early days in Hollywood might make her cringe but the actress certainly lived up to her potential and maintained an incredible career decades later. Throughout the '90s she worked on shedding her good-girl image and eventually landed roles on "Melrose Place" and "Charmed," which was another career-defining moment for her. "Charmed" ran for eight seasons and achieved a cult following. 

Since her time on "Charmed" ended in 2006, Milano has kept a lower profile in Hollywood compared to the first half of her career, and a big reason for that is she found love and started a family.   

Milano has been happily married to David Bugliari, a talent agent, since August 2009 when they wed at Bugliari's family home in New Jersey. The actress opened up about her relationship in her book of personal essays titled "Sorry Not Sorry." She got real on the topic of marriage and admitted it isn't always roses and chocolates and actually involves a lot of apologizing. She wrote:

"Love, in many ways, is a constant state of apology. It means recognizing the things that you fail at, knowing that the person you love sees them too, and trying so hard to be better at them," she wrote. "But most important, it means being loved in return even with those shortcomings. It means that the apology is usually accepted, and it's usually sincere. Love is not a casual 'sorry.' Love is making amends. Love is forgiveness. Love is success and failure. Love is perpetual apology."

Milano talked about the couple's deep love for one another: "We are bound together, a bond that is going to take something stronger and harder than anything we've faced to sever." She also discussed knowing her husband would make a great father. "The first time I met David's father, I knew what a great dad he would be," she wrote.

The couple started their dream of having a family when Milano gave birth to a son, Milo in 2011, and a daughter, Elizabella in 2014. She told Us Weekly that she and Bugliari want to raise "socially aware and conscious" children, and it seems they're doing just that. She added:

“My daughter is very empathetic and caring. ... My son is very strong and organized.”

She continued:

“Everything in my life up to this point was for them. Even the heartache and the struggle was to prepare me to be a mom and to feel that kind of empathy for people and humanity.”    

Milano has long and often been at the receiving end of compliments for her good looks. She said she’s always been conscious of maintaining her health, even while she avoided the beauty pressures many actresses in Hollywood faced. “I’ve been aware of other people in the industry who felt that, but I’ve been very blessed in that I’ve never been impacted by that in my career,” Milano told People magazine. “People have always been very supportive of me in the business, no matter what weight I was.” She added she wasn’t a fan of diets. 

“I eat whole foods that are low in refined carbs and low in sugar. And foods that are rich in healthy fats and proteins, vegetables, and any fiber-rich carbs. I think that when you call things a diet you’re setting yourself up to fail. Because to me that means there’s an end to it, and with health and fitness, you have to maintain your entire life.”

Milano has also shared many of her beauty secrets and remains one of the few Hollywood actresses working today who are open about the cosmetic procedures she has had. Milano is open about her use of Botox to maintain her youthful appearance, as she told fans on TikTok “Botox!” was her honest way of dealing with wrinkles. She also posted a video with the caption: “I’m not twenty anymore. I don’t look this smooth without filters and Botox.”

Many found Milano’s honesty refreshing in an industry where many celebrities are quick to cite olive oil and consuming large amounts of water for their superhuman youthful looks while concealing the Botox and filler procedures they’ve truly had done. Milano took her refreshing honesty up a notch by posting a courageous bare-faced selfie on her 50th birthday in December 2022.

In celebration of her milestone 50th birthday, Milano posted a selfie on social media of a close-up of her face without any make-up or camera filters on. “This is 50. No filter. No touching up. No make up,” Milano wrote in the caption.

“I will spend this day, the same as every day. I will move a little, love a lot, be of service, and count my blessings,” she added while expressing how mindful she is about staying grateful for the things she has.

“I’m happy to be here. Right here. Right now. In this time. In my time. In your time. There’s still so much to look forward to! And you know what? It’s even been okay to look back where I’ve been, where I came from, how far I’ve come, who came into my life and who stayed,” she wrote.

Her fans were delighted by her gumption, as one follower wrote: “thk u for showing women how to get real!! omg so refreshing.” Meanwhile, another commented, “Ooh happy belated birthday you still look like your twenty !!! I’ve been watching you grow up since ‘who’s the boss,’ you’re beautiful.”

This was not the first time Milano has celebrated a birthday with a stunning makeup-free selfie. For her 48th, Milano posted a bare-faced selfie and captioned it: “This is 48. No filter. No make up. Just my skin that I’ve become super comfortable in. My body makes crackling sounds when I walk. My daughter asked me the other day why my butt is so jiggley. Sometimes I forget things. I’m tired all of the time. But overall, I’m just grateful for this life. My life.”

Are you a fan of Alyssa Milano and her career? What are your thoughts on her views about aging and her transparency about cosmetic procedures? Do you think she's setting a good example to other women? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this along to your friends and family, too.